"I am honored to have the opportunity to lead this dedicated,
agile and flexible community of legal professionals," Kenney said.
"Legal services have never been more vital or in demand in the
Coast Guard than in the post-9/11 era."

The remarks came during his installation ceremony at Coast Guard
Headquarters in Washington attended by more than 200 people,
including several from Norfolk.

Kenney cited last year's oil spill off the Gulf Coast of
Louisiana in which JAG played a big part in by providing legal
support for those affected by and responding to the spill.

His late father, Fred Kenney Sr., owned and operated the Norfolk
Pharmacy in the center of town for more than 35 years. The pharmacy
closed after he retired.

Kenney's mother, Joan, now lives on Cape Cod but returns to
Norfolk often, a town Kenney says has a lot to do with who he is
and what he's accomplished.

"I spent a lot of my time playing youth sports in Norfolk,
mostly baseball and hockey," he said. "I learned a lot of solid
life lessons from the many volunteer coaches in town, and I still
carry those lessons with me today."

Kenney joined the Coast Guard in 1981 after graduating from
Michigan State University. He received his law degree from the
University of San Francisco School of Law, where he served as
editor-in-chief of the Maritime Law Journal.

Since joining the Coast Guard, he has been chief of the Office
of Maritime and International Law. He also served as head of the
U.S. delegation to the International Maritime Organization's Legal
Committee, chief of the Coast Guard's Office of Legal Policy and
Program Development, staff judge advocate for the First Coast Guard
District in Boston, and Coast Guard liaison officer to the State
Department's Office of Ocean Affairs.

Kenney also served as a judge on the Coast Guard Court of
Criminal Appeals.

He says he is most proud of his involvement in efforts over the
years to prosecute companies responsible for dumping oil and
hazardous waste into U.S. waters.

Kenney also served with several operational units. He commanded
the Coast Guard's Pacific Area Tactical Law Enforcement Team that
interdicted several drug smuggling operations, seizing more than 10
tons of cocaine in a three-year period, as well as intercepting
hundreds of migrants attempting to illegally enter the country by
sea.

Kenney's top decorations include three Legion of Merit medals,
the Defense Meritorious Service Medal and three Coast Guard
Meritorious Service medals.

His non-military awards include the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency's Gold Medal, the Department of State Superior
Honor Award, and the Department of Justice Certificate of
Commendation.

He and his wife, Cassi, live in Washington. They have two
college-age daughters, Elizabeth and Charlotte.